Hiroki Koga chose strawberries.
Now, at some point, we all have picked up a box of strawberries in the produce aisle—but, in some sense, Koga bet his future on them. The cofounder and CEO of vertical farming startup Oishii, Koga wanted to start with strawberries. It’s a crop that’s famously hard to grow compared to, say, leafy greens like kale and arugula, which most vertical farming startups start with. Koga, who grew up in Japan, was unimpressed with American produce when he moved to the U.S.—and starting with one of the most beloved fruits, he thought, could set up Oishii for success.
